NELSON] DOG HARNESS BREAST YOKES 211 



character were obtained from various localities between Norton sound 

 and Point Hope, on the Arctic coast, and thence across Bering strait to 

 the coast of Siberia, and on St Lawrence island. 



Figure 4, plate LXXVI, illustrates a small ivory block of this charac 

 ter, from St Lawrence island. It is somewhat pear-shape, with a hole 

 through one end, surrounded by a lip or bead-like elevation; this hole 

 and a groove on each side are intended to receive a permanent cord. In 

 a direction transverse to this hole is a larger one, through which the 

 cord is passed in making a temporary attachment. Another of these 

 blocks from St Lawrence island (figure 5, plate LXXVI) has an incised 

 groove, forming a neck, between the two holes. 



Some of these blocks are very rudely shaped, as is shown in figure 3, 

 plate LXXVI, from St Lawrence island. This example is cut without 

 any attempt to round off the corners. Another very plainly made 

 specimen was obtained at L T nalaklit. 



In addition to the use of dogs for hauling sleds, it is a common prac 

 tice among the Eskimo when traveling in summer to put their dogs on 

 shore and harness them to a long line attached to the bow of the boat, 

 one of the party remaining on shore to drive the dogs, which travel 

 along the beach and pull the boat. By the employment of this means 

 much labor is saved. 



BREAST YOKES 



From Nunivak island southward beyond the mouth of Kuskokwim 

 river the people are in the habit of using breast yokes when carrying 

 heavy burdens on their backs; they are made of flattened pieces of 

 wood, crescentic in form, with a hole at one end through which a cord 

 is fastened; at the other end is a knob-like enlargement, with a notch 

 on its outer side, over which a loop on the end of the cord can be 

 slipped. 



Figure 14, plate LXXVI, illustrates one of these breast yokes, which 

 was obtained on Xunivak island by Doctor W. H. Ball. It consists of a 

 flattened board, slightly crescentic in shape, about three inches wide 

 and half an inch- in thickness. On the curved front is carved in relief a 

 human face, the eyes, mouth, and nostrils being incised, as are also 

 four parallel lines extending downward from near the corners of the 

 mouth, to represent tattooing; across the front each way from the face 

 is a broad groove which narrows to a point at the outer end, along each 

 edge of which are set six small reindeer teeth. The face, grooves, and 

 tips of the yoke are painted red; the remainder of the front and upper 

 border is black. Doctor Dall obtained another yoke of this kind on 

 Nunivak island; it has a beveled front and a slight ridge along the cen 

 ter, which is narrow in the middle but broader toward the ends. 



A yoke from Chalitmut (number 36023) is constricted in the middle 

 and expanded into a wing-like form toward each end. 



